Tulane and the Mayor are applying serious pressure to all members of the City Council to deny the Motion for an IZD at the council meeting this Thursday, June 28th. Should a council member put this Motion up for a vote and it be denied, our neighborhoods will have absolutely no protection from Tulane. The University will have no reason to come to the table for a Community Benefits Agreement or interact in true negotiations with our surrounding areas. As Scott Cowen stated at the City Planning Commission, “We have the right to build this project.” They are going to do exactly what they have proposed to do – from the beginning – and all of our concerns will be noted and then put aside.
Please call the council members tomorrow, Monday, June 25th, regarding the Motion for the IZD. If you can do it in the morning, all the better. The message is simple and can be covered in 3 points.
1. Without the Motion for the IZD passed by the City Council, Tulane University would never have come to the table with the neighbors to hear concerns.
2. Unfortunately, the two forums to date have failed to answer any of these concerns regarding usage, design, location, parking, traffic, drainage or lights.
3. Please, WITHHOLD CONSIDERATION OF THE IZD until a BINDING Good Neighbors Agreement can be created between all parties.
Remember each of these small steps makes a tremendous difference in how the council responds. Please, keep it up. Call them tomorrow. Tie up their phones. The Council meets on Thursday, June 28th, and we need the IZD to be left off the Agenda.
Many thanks.
President Jacquelyn Clarkson 504-658-1070/jbclarkson@nola.gov
Councilmember Susan Guidry 504-658-1010/ sgguidry@nola.gov
Councilmember Stacy Head 504-658-1060/shead@nola.gov
Councilmember Kristin Palmer 504-658-1030/kgpalmer@nola.gov
Councilmember Jon Johnson 504-658-1050/jdjohnson@nola.gov
Councilmember Cynthia Hedge-Morrell 504-658-1040/chmorrell@nola.gov
Councilmember Diane Bajoie 504-658-1020/dbajoie@nola.gov
Mayor Mitch Landrieu 504-658-4900/mayor@nola.gov
